The last surviving US veteran of World War I has
urged members of Congress to rededicate a Washington monument to the
memory of his fellow combatants. Frank Buckles, 108, said the US capital needed a symbol to honour all those who fought in the Great War. A
bill, named after Mr Buckles, proposes to rededicate an existing
memorial on the National Mall in honour of all Americans who fought in
WWI. More than 100,000 Americans lost their lives during the campaign. Mr Buckles, who travelled to Capitol Hill from his home in West Virginia, told a panel of senators it was "an excellent idea". The official title of the bill is the Frank Buckles World War I Memorial Act. It
aims to rededicate the District of Columbia War Memorial which
currently only commemorates the citizens of the District of Columbia
who served in WWI.